Police were alerted after a concerned member of the public reported Adams for possible involvement in child sex abuse.

Speaking after the sentence, Detective Inspector John Fitzgibbons said his sentence reflected the “gravity of his crimes”.

Mr Fitzgibbons said: “Adams has been remanded since earlier this year because of the risk he posed to young people in Rotherham and the sentence passed down to him today reflects the gravity of his crimes.

“He is now behind bars for a lengthy period of time.

“I hope this allows his victims, who have shown incredible bravery throughout our investigation, an opportunity to begin to heal from this horrific abuse with the support of specialist agencies.”

Adams, from Maltby, Rotherham, pleaded guilty to 11 child sexual offences, including two counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, four counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act, relating to two 13-year-old and two 14-year-old girls from Rotherham.

He also admitted four counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of rape and one count of grooming linked to three girls aged between 12 and 14.

Insp Fitzgibbons said: “Adams’ sexual offending is prolific and incredibly shocking - we were able to identify a number of his victims but there may well be more young girls out there yet to come forward.

“While he has admitted his part in the sexual abuse of many young girls in Rotherham, this does not lessen the awful impact his hideous crimes have had on their lives.

“He preyed on the girls’ vulnerability and young age, exploiting them to engage in sexual activity for his own satisfaction. This is a truly despicable crime and I am pleased he is behind bars where he can cause no further harm to young girls in our town.”

Adams was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

He was arrested following a joint operation by South Yorkshire Police and Rotherham Council.

Rotherham was shaken by the child sexual exploitation scandal which followed the revelations in the 2014 Jay Report that more than 1,400 children were subjected to rape, grooming and trafficking between 1997 and 2013.

A huge National Crime Agency investigation is ongoing into historical child sexual exploitation in the town over this period.